Project Details

Background:
In 2016, the Armenia Fund launched a housing-assistance program designed specifically to benefit large, economically disadvantaged families in Artsakh.

Problem:
Artsakh continues to be impacted by extremely low birth rates, which can have an adverse effect on economic growth and cultural development.

Solution:
With proceeds from Telethon 2015 and contributions from individual benefactors including Samvel Karapetyan and Antranik Baghdassarian, the Fund established a housing-assistance program for Artsakh, with the dual aim of promoting demographic growth and easing the economic burden of low-income families with five or more children. Through the program, the Fund builds houses in various regions of Artsakh and donates them to qualifying families. The homes, which are built to the Fund’s exacting standards, come fully furnished, include appliances, and feature sizeable plots suitable for cultivation.

Impact:
The program has a profoundly positive, life-changing effect on beneficiaries. The prospect of benefiting from the program is encouraging many families to have more children, therefore helping contribute to demographic growth. As importantly, the program is helping lift many families out of poverty. By becoming owners of brand-new, comfortable, fully furnished houses, large families leave the indignity of living in cramped, substandard homes behind. And freed from the burden of paying rent, which accounts for the biggest portion of a household’s income, these low-income families can start to focus more on the care and education of their children.

In 2016, the Fund built and donated houses to 11 families. In 2017, 14 brand-new houses were donated to as many families, and currently a further ten houses are under construction. A key indication of the success of the program is that many of the beneficiary families are now expecting their sixth, seventh, and even eighth child.